Stetson's Reviews > The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous

The WEIRDest People in the World by Joseph Henrich is an ambitious and novel “Big History” (in the vein of Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel or Yuval Noah Harrari’s Sapiens) account of Western civilization. Henrich argues important interactions between biological and cultural factors lead to our unique social institutions and WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic) psychology. He deftly draws from the fields of cultural evolution, evolutionary psychology, and economics to support his claims, recapping research finding in captivating yet careful detail.

If you are someone hoping to understand the deep roots of Western psychology and culture, this is a must read. It is one of the most important and high impact books aimed at a general audience from the last decade. It is a must read.